Luggage



Nov. 26, 1957 Filed Jan. 30, 1957 T. W. MARCINKOWSKI LUGGAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LUGGAGE Thaddeus W. Marcinkowski, Killeen, Tex.

Application January 30, 1957, Serial No. 637,205

Claims. (Cl. 190-5) This invention relates to a manually portable clothing container and especially and more particularly relates to a manually portable clothing container which may be conveniently transported in a flexible luggage bag.

Soldiers and other military personnel are generally issued flexible canvas bags in which to store and transport their personal belongings, such as clothing, toilet articles, books, etc. When the servicemen is ordered to travel, as to move into the field, go aboard ship, or to a foreign duty station, he is frequently required to take only those personal belongings which he can carry in his issued canvas bag. At these times he must pack his clothing, toilet articles, books, etc., into the canvas bag and carry it to the train, truck, ship or other conveyance where it is piled in stacks with .the bags of others. The flexible nature of the bag and the rough treatment which it receives in transit invariably wrinkles the clothing contained therein and frequently causes breakage of bottles and tubes of hair and shaving cream with resultant damage to the Servicemans clothing.

l have now found that these difficulties may be largely eliminated through the provision of a rigid container in which the serviceman can store his clothes when at a station, and which can be packed into his issued canvas bag to form a neat travel unit when the serviceman moves.

According to the invention the rigid `container is provided in the form of a chest havingV trays and drawers which are so constructed as to facilitate enclosing the chest in the bag. Not only do these trays and drawers serve as a convenient bureau for the serviceman when he is in a barracks, but they prevent wrinkling of his clothes in transit and substantially eliminate breakage of fragile articles. The chest serves as a convenient bedside or bunkside table and is constructed so as to provide a maximum volume of storage space within the chest.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a manually portable container having trays and drawers in which servicemen may store and transport their personal belongings.

lt is also an object of the invention to provide a manually portable rigid container of such size as to fit into existing servicemens canvas bags.

lt is la further object of the invention to provide a container of such size and configuration of trays and drawers as to serve both as a manually portable piece of luggage and as a chest of drawers or bunkside table. It is an additional object of the invention to provide a container of the foregoing type wherein rigidity is achieved by means of trays extending between the container sides so as to provide maximum storage space within the container.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a manually portable luggage package comprising a flexible canvas bag enclosing a rigid container.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the following specification and claims and appended drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container constructed according to the invention and having the drawers and top thereof in a closed position;

nited States Patent() ice Figure 2 is a vertical section of the container of Figure 1 showing the drawers and top in semi-opened conditions;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the frame of the container showing the trays attached to the sides;

Figure 4 is a partial vertical section of another embodirnent of a container constructed according to the invention; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the container of the invention encased in a canvas bag.

Referring more particularly to Figures l through 3 of the drawings, there is shown a container generally indicated at 10, which comprises a container frame 12 (shown in Figure 3), top 14 and drawers 16 and 18.

Referring to Figure 3, the container frame 12 consists of a pair of vertical side panels 20 and 22 which are secured together by means of three shallow trays 24, 26 and 23. The bottom tray 23 has its side walls 30 and 32 attached to the panels 20 and 22 flush with the bottom thereof. The intermediate tray 26 has its side walls 34 and 36 attached to the panels 20 and 22 in a similar manner, while the uppermost tray 24 has its side walls 38 and 40 only partially received between the panels 20 and 22. Top tray 24 is provided with front and back walls 40 and 42 and with a bottom 44. Intermediate tray 26 and bottom tray 28 are provided with similar front and back walls 46, 48, 50 and 52 and with bottoms 54 'and 56 respectively. A back 58 is secured to the rear edges of side panels 20 and 22 to provide transverse stability.

Referring to Figure 2, the cover 14 consists of a top 60, side walls 62, and front and back walls 64 and 66 respectively. The back wall 66 is secured to the back 523 of the frame 12 by means of a suitable hinge 68, and provides a closure for the uppermost tray 24.

A first drawer 16 is received between top tray 24 and intermediate tray 26. The drawer 16 consists of a pair of side walls 72, a rear wall 74, and a bottom '76. The depth of side walls 72 and bottom 76 of this portion of the drawer is such that the side walls and bottom extend beyond the front walls 40 and 46 of the trays 2dand 26 when the drawer is in a closed position.

Mounted over these extending portions is a drawer front or cap indicated generally at 78, which comprises a front 80, top wall S2, bottom wall 8d and side walls 86. The side walls 86 are attached to the side walls 72 of the drawer 16 on the outer surfaces thereof so that when the drawer is closed, the side walls 86 are flush with the side panels 20 and 22, as is seen in Figure 1. The bottom wall S4 of the front '78 is attached to the bottom 76 of drawer 16 at the bottom surface thereof, while the top wall 82 of front 7S is spaced above the top of the side walls 72 of drawer 16.

The depth of side walls 86 of front 78 is such that when the drawer 16 is closed, the side walls 86 abut the front walls 40 and 46 of trays 24 and 26, and the rear wall 74 of drawer 16 abuts the back 58 of the frame 12. The top wall 82 of front 78 is at such a height as to engage the underside of cover 14 when the cover is in la closed position, as is seen in Figure l.

The bottom drawer 18 is received between the intermediate tray 26 and bottom tray 28, as is best seen in Figure 2. This drawer consists of rectangular side walls 88 having depending portions 90 at the front thereof. A back wall 92 and bottom 94 are also attached to the side Walls 88. A further vertical wall 96 is provided at the back edges of the depending portions in side walls 88. The drawer front, shown generally at 98, consists of a front 100, side walls 102, top wall 104 and bottom wall 106. The front wall is attached to the front edges of side walls S3. The *bottom Wall 106 of front l 98 is attached Ato the bottom of depending portions 90 walls 88 of drawer 18 into close proximity with the bottom wall 84 of top drawer 16.

The depth of the side walls 88v of lower drawer 18.is such that when the rear wall 92 engages the bacl'c'wall 58', the vertical depending wall`96 engages' the front wall 50 of bottom tray 28. When both drawers and they top ofthe container are closed, the unit is substantially rectangular in shape, as is seen in Figure 1.

The container may be formed of suitable sheet material such as plywood or sheet aluminum and the various connections may be made by known means, such as screws, rivets, or glue. The depending portions 90 on the side walls 8S of the lower drawer 18 form a depending extension on the lower drawer which is suitable for engaging the floor upon which the container is resting and thereby serving as a support to prevent tipping. This portion of the drawer also is of a greater depththan the remaining portion and provides a storage place for articles which will not ht in the remaining portions of the drawer.

The depth of the trays 24, 26 and 28 which form the supports between the side panels and 22 gives an extreme structural rigidity but does not consume valuable storage space within the container. That is to say, the trays may be used for storing material and this very volume of storage space contributes to the structuralv rigidity of the unit. Similarly, the cap-shaped fronts of the drawers also provide rigidity and provide storage place for articles which would not otherwise be receivable within the drawers. Latches 108, 110 and 112' may be provided to hold the drawers and container top in closed positions, as is best seen in Figure 1, and a carrying strap 115 may also be provided.

Referring to Figure 4, there is shown another embodiment of my invention wherein the lower drawer 114 does not have a depending portion such as that shownin the embodiment of the invention of Figures 1 through 3. In this embodiment of the invention the drawer front consists of a front panel 116 engaging the drawer bottom 118 at the front edge thereof. A top 120 andl side walls 122 are also connected to the front panel 116 and side Walls 122 are attached to the outer surfaces of the sides 124' of the drawer, as in the preceding embodiment of the invention.

The chest in this embodiment of the invention is provided with a back 126, upper drawer 128, upper tray 130, and bottom tray 132. The upper drawer 128 consists of a bottom 134, side walls 136, and rear wall 138. To this portion of the drawer is attached a front shown generally at 140, which consists of a front wall 142, side walls 144, and bottom wall 146. The bottom wall 146 of front 140 engages the top wall 120 of the front of the lower drawer 114, as in the preceding embodiment of the invention. The tray 130 consists of a bottomk 148, front wall 150, side walls 152, and rear wall 154. The bottom tray 132 likewise consists of a bottom 156, front and rear walls 158 and 160 and side walls 162.

Attached to the front wall 158 of bottom tray 132 is a generally triangularly cross-sectioned member 164 which serves as a foot to prevent the chest from tipping. A complementary triangularly cross-sectioned member 166 is attached to the underside of drawer 114 and assists in this purpose. Thus the outward appearance of the chest constructed according to the embodiment of the invention depicted in Figure 4 is identical to that depicted in Figures 1 through 3, and the only differenceis that the depending portion of the lower drawer 114 is solid, rather than hollow, as in the preceding embodiment of the invention.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the chest of my invention is capable of serving as a very convenient bedside bureau and table for the storage ofpersonal belongings. A very high volume of storage space; is provided for the volume occupied by the chest, and a very sturdy construction is obtained. In addition, inexpensive materials may be utilized and the unit may be mass pro duced at a quite low cost. When the serviceman is faced with the necessity of moving, his belongings may be packed in the bureau which may then be closed and latched by means of the latches 103, and 112 and the entire chest inserted intoa traveling bag 168, as seen in Figure 5. The traveling bag 168 may be an issue servicemans traveling bag= provided with the usual carrying handle 170. When goods are transported in this manner the clothes contained therein are protected against wrinkling and breakage of fragile articles is substantially eliminated.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentv embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by the United States Letters Patent is:

l. A manually portable container having a height at least twice as great as its width and comprising a pair of vertical sides,` a lower tray attached to said sides at the lower ends thereof, an intermediate tray attached to said sides intermediate the ends thereof, an upper tray attached to said sides at the upper ends thereof, a lower drawer removably positioned on said lower tray and extending upwardly to said intermediate tray, said lower drawer having a length greater than the width of said container sides so that in closed position a portion of said lower drawer extends beyond the front edges of said container sides, said lower drawer having a foot portion extending downwardly for preventing tipping of the container, an upper drawer above said intermediate tray and extending upwardly to said upper tray, said upper drawer having a length greater than the width of said container sides so that in closed position a portion of said upper drawer extends beyond the front edges of said container sides, a container top swingably connected to an upper portionof said container and having a length greater than the width of said container sides so that in closed position the front edge of said container top extends beyond the front edges of said container sides.

2. A container according to claim l wherein said lower drawer, upper drawer and container top in closed positions extend the same distance beyond the front edges of said container sides.

3'. A container according to claim l wherein said foot portion of saidy lower drawer comprises a hollow downwardly extending portion of said lower drawer.

4; A container according to claim 1 wherein said foot portion of said lower drawer comprises a solid member attached to and extending downwardly from said lower drawer, saidV solid member having a diagonal side facing toward said lower tray, and including a shoe attached to said lower tray and extending beyond the front of said lower tray and having a diagonal side mating with said diagonal side of said solid member when said lower drawer is in a closed position.

5. A container according to claim 1 including latch means for releasably holding said drawers in closed position, and latch means for releasably holding said container top in closed position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 464,981 Murray Dec. l5, l891 656,707 Welshe Aug. 28, 1900 1,588,771 Richardson June 15, 1926 1,831,847 Derman Nov. 7, 1931 2,732,046 Smallberg Ian. 24, 1956 

